John Ridley's 12 Years A Slave
Scriptwriter John Ridley penned his Oscar-nominated screenplay for 12 Years A Slave for free.
The writer agreed to adapt the memoirs of former slave Solomon Northup into a movie script as a "spec project", meaning he would only be paid for his work once the cameras started to roll on the production.
He says, "There was no development money whatsoever for this project, so I said I'd take it on as a spec project, which means I'll write it for free."
John Ridley Wrote 12 Years A Slave For FreeRidley's script has landed him an Academy Award nomination in the adapted screenplay category at next month's (Feb14) Oscars ceremony. The honour is one of nine Oscars nods received by 12 Years A Slave - others include Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Chiwetel Ejiofor.